transition to a crib?

[snowangel182]

I would love some advice about the best way to transition my 11 mo to a crib for night sleep and for naps. Currently we co-sleep and she is waking up 5 - 10 times a night to nurse herself back to sleep and it is taking such a huge toll on my sanity. I am so sleep deprived. I just struggle through the day. My temper is getting worse, I'm getting headaches, I'm lethargic. I know getting her to fall asleep on her own will be a big help and night weaning in conjunction with sleeping in her own bed. But HOW do I start? BTW The crib is  entirely foreign to her right now.

[WindyCityMom]

Originally Posted by snowangel182 

I would love some advice about the best way to transition my 11 mo to a crib for night sleep and for naps. Currently we co-sleep and she is waking up 5 - 10 times a night to nurse herself back to sleep and it is taking such a huge toll on my sanity. I am so sleep deprived. I just struggle through the day. My temper is getting worse, I'm getting headaches, I'm lethargic. I know getting her to fall asleep on her own will be a big help and night weaning in conjunction with sleeping in her own bed. But HOW do I start? BTW The crib is  entirely foreign to her right now.

Taking notes! I'm in the same situation (DD will be 1 on the 22nd).

[Spring Lily]

It sounds like you want to have her make seveal major transistions at once: 1. sleeping alone, 2. sleeping in a crib instead of a bed, 3. nightweaning.  (If the crib isn't in your room, then there's also 4. sleeping in a different room.)

If I were in that situation, I would prioritize each of those changes and try to make them slowly.  1 & 2 can go together, but adding 3 to that would be really difficult.  I personally would try nightweaning first and then when that was smoothed out, start changing the bedtime routine to have lots of rocking & cuddling time with the nursing, but not in bed.  When she's drowsy or asleep (depending on her personality), then you can start practicing with putting her down in the crib.  I'd probably start with naps, because missing a nap is better than you both being up all night!  If you need tips on that, No Cry Sleep Solution has a lot of suggestions on gently teaching a baby to fall asleep on their own in their crib, that works with many kids.

Also, I have to ask, are you ready to move her into her own bed because you want to nightwean?  I'm wondering if you're thinking of her being in the crib as the solution to waking up 5-10 times a night.  In other words, if she was STTN, would you still want to move her to the crib right now?  Not questioning your decision, just trying to understand your reasoning.

One last thing--my twins were doing the same thing, waking up all night, and I think it was partly because they were nursing less during the day.  Playing and eating more.  At night, they thought it was nice to make up for lost time, and nurse on and off all night.  One at a time.  I was going crazy.  I started offering nursing more during the day and keeping sippy cups of water by the bed.  Often they were just a little  thirsty and having a drink of water was enough to let them go right back to sleep.  It broke the pattern,  which was the key.  And our first step to nightweaning!

[snowangel182]

Thank you for your advice!! At night when she wakes she is taking "just a sip" to fall back asleep. Last night I tried your plan of sippy cup with water for most of the wake-ups and then nurse just once during the middle of the night. I know she probably needs to have a meal at some point because she (like your twins) is super busy during the day and not too interested in solids. I tried this last night and it went well! She nursed a good solid 20 min at 3 am and the rest of the time I gave her water, and snooze, she was back to sleep. I don't necessarily want to night wean, just want her to learn how to fall asleep without the nursing. I am going to try the naps in the crib by herself in her room and keep her in our bed at night until she is comfortable with that and the partial night weaning. Then I might tackle the full transition. Maybe re-arrange the furniture so her crib can be next to our bed for a few weeks and then move it back to her room? Thanks for the book suggestion too. I was looking for a no-cry solution....perfect!